How to Survive With a Big Brother: Hamada Edition
by ShippingLikeAPackage
Summary: In-progress collection of one-shot snipits of childhood in the upstairs of the Lucky Cat Café. Hiro and Tadashi's backstory; stories adding up to the final result of the legendary bond between them. [Brotherly Love, not romantic shipping.]
1. The Sugar Effect

{A/N: Hi! This is my first Big Hero 6 fanfic, and I've decided to make this a collection of short one-shots between the boys. However, this and the one I'm thinking of uploading next go together.

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Walt Disney and Disney Animation for characters and back stories.}

In grade school, his teachers would sometimes have 'Fun Fridays', which were laid back, game-style review of the week's lessons. Games could be competitive, and some kids would slam one of their hands to the desk as the other soared into the air, the eager elementary school kids stretching their small arms as far to the ceiling as they possibly could. All for that satisfaction of pleasing the teacher, and gaining a cheap toy or pencil from them in return. Things that could be bought in bulk for one dollar, and these kids were fighting like their lives depended on it. Hiro Hamada could've easily taken claim of all the small prizes in every class of his, as he was not only every staff member's favorite pupil, but knew every answer as well. He thought these 'fun' Fridays were petty; how could ANYONE struggle with long division? Why did they need scrap paper? Couldn't they just do it in their heads? Because of the simplistic boredom it caused him, Hiro often found himself with a pass to the bathroom, when he didn't need to go whatsoever. He just didn't feel like watching kids brawl over yet another 'SUPER STAR' eraser.

There were, however, those rare occasions when Hiro was in the battle just like the rest of the kids in class. When he competed viciously to be the first to answer right. When his eyes grew at the lustful idea of obtaining the prize. All of these occasions seemed to have something in common; the prizes were always pieces of sticky, sugary candy.

Hiro's hand would be in the air before the question was finished, the boy's answer always rushed. The correct words just flowed out of his mouth, like someone had flicked a switch and broke the Hoover dam. After the speech was over the teacher would be smiling, usually clasping his/her hands together as they came closer. The anticipation had Hiro bouncing as he/she would seem to take an eternity to reach him. Then, Hiro's prize would be awarded, and devoured, as quickly as the question had come. These moments made school all worth it. It doesn't matter that they taught common sense to the knuckleheads in his class. Who didn't know, as a toddler, their times tables? Who in their right mind didn't understand electrical currents? Did they just think the world was magic, or something?

The kid genius, in fifth grade, applied that big brain of his and made his own executive decision. All of that school year, he earned every single piece of candy offered to the class. But did he follow his standard inhalation as soon as he received it? No, Hiro Hamada slipped all of the small pieces into the front zipper of his backpack, where he could soundly have it out of sight, out of mind. He had bigger plans than singular candy pieces. Well, all with the exception of a few pieces here and there he would devour out of temptation.

A few things of note about this kid. He was reading high school level biographies in fourth grade. He'd accidentally stolen an old textbook on physics from the local library. He lived with his Aunt Cass in her own cafe, right in the heart of town. He skipped 2 grades already. He had an older brother, who personally made it his mission to protect Hiro at all costs, even if he was a bit /over/protective. Hiro sometimes didn't make the best decisions.

For the last month of school, the 9 year old's backpack crackled in sync with the boy's gait. Tadashi, the 15 year old sibling, was surprisingly mature about his teen life, and rather than being in an 'I-don't-care' mindset like many other kids his age, Tadashi decided one day to figure it all out. His efforts were fruitless, however, since the only source of noise alongside Hiro's books were crumpled up theorem proofs. That's what Hiro did, rather than doodle like a majority of kids when bored. Hiro was asleep by the time Tadashi had gone through his things, and the older boy tossed his brother's backpack onto the desk again. He'd figure this out one day.

That one day came much faster than anticipated, and it all started with the first night of summer.

"Tadashi! Dashidashidashi! Wake up wake up wake up!" A tiny kid clambered onto the bigger bed, bouncing the mattress his poor elder brother was enjoying a homework-less deep sleep on. "Ta-Da-Shi. Tadashi. Pssst. Tadashi. Guess what? Wake up!"

The boy was insane. Tadashi was positive of it. Either there was an emergency, or Hiro was crazy. As in, Tadashi was already thinking of psychologists he knew off the top of his head. The older Hamada squinted at the clock, making out the red 2:17 AM harshly. Hiro was still leaping about, causing Tadashi to groan when his stomach was practically karate chopped. Hiro's fingers stuck to his brother's arm, and that's what actually woke him. Sure, Hiro drooled in his\ sleep, but was it this... Gross? Not usually. Tadashi rubbed his eyes, sitting up. It took a few minutes of squinting to adjust his eyes to the moonlight shining in brightly, but Tadashi could squint and talk.

"Hiro… what the…"

"TADASHI TADASHI TADASHI YOU WOKE UP! CAN YOU SHOW ME HOW TO BUILD A ROBOT FROM TIN FOIL **_PLEEEEEAASSEEEE_**."

Tadashi was convinced, Hiro was crazy.

The smaller boy slid off of his brother on accident, making that familiar cackle the elder had heard for a month now.

"Hiro! What is that?"

The younger brother hid his hands, which only made Tadashi more curious. "Hehehee… Nothin, Tadashiiii…"

That only sparked curiosity. "Hiro." The teenager grabbed his younger brother, pulling out his hand. Inside was a plastic candy wrapper, which crinkled like it had for ages now. "Hiro…" Tadashi said, confused before his eyes widened. He gripped the young boy's shoulders, shaking them slightly. "Hiro. You didn't have just one. _**How many have you eaten?**_"

As if to answer the question, the younger of the two fled back to his own mattress, an intense sizzle of wrappers marking his arrival. Tadashi hopped up, flicking on the light switch. Bummer, just as he adjusted, the lights got harsh. But Tadashi could see still, and with the new light, it was clear there was a sea of clear plastic wrappers covering Hiro's bed.

"Unbelievable…!"

Hiro giggled, leaping up and running over to his big brother again. He nearly knocked him down in a clumsy bear hug, the 9 year old forgetting he was in trouble. "Hiro, what the mother of Mochi did you do?!"

This launched the genius into an explanation, which was interrupted often by giggles. "If you have one small piece of something that's real cool, imagine what it would be like if you a whole bunch of its friends to link it up with! Imagine how great! The options are limitless!" Hiro released his bro, flopping onto his plastic-clad bed again. "It's amazing. You know what we should do right now? Ride around town on your scooter! See the city at night! Dibs on the striped helmet!" Hiro hopped up, making his way to the helmet rack already, which was by the stairs. Tadashi grabbed at his hood, a common move for him. However, it was late, and Hiro was in a t-shirt. Luckily for Tadashi, he'd managed to snag his younger sibling's clothes anyway, pulling him back.

"Noooo way, little bro. That candy you've eaten is going to revisit you very soon, so we're grabbing you a trash can. That way you can throw out the rest of your candy, too." The way Tadashi said his words, it was clear they weren't a suggestion. His rules were met with a gap-toothed grin and a laugh, the kid nodding with no arguments. "Hiro… Remind me never to give you sugar again."

{A/N: Hope you all noticed my nod at Hiro's microbots. Thank you for taking the time to read this! }


	2. The Sugar Aftermath

{A/N: Wow, you guys are so nice about this story! Thank you so much, it really made my day!

Disclaimer: All Characters owned by Walt Disney Animation Studios.}

Two painfully long hours had ticked by when it had happened. The skin underneath Tadashi's eyes drooped, the boy exhausted from school ending the day earlier. Hiro had binged on small candies, causing him to be the was he was now. Tadashi plucked up 3 more wrappers, discarding them into the wastebasket his little brother was clutching for dear life. He checked the clock. 4:36 AM. Hiro had calmed down drastically since he'd woken Tadashi up, and was now a bit grumpy. "Hiro-" Tadashi began, but the little one interrupted.

"I _know_. 'Bad idea, Bonehead. How could you not think of the consequences? Blah blah blah…' I get it."

"Nonono, I wasn't going to lecture. I just want to know how you're feeling, Hiro." Tadashi reached to wrap an arm around the kid, but Hiro shoved him away.

"**Don't** touch me. Uughhhhhh…" The 9 year old rubbed his stomach, hugging the can with his other hand. Tadashi wasn't offended, and tossed the young boy a water bottle.

"Drink up." This was actually about the 4th bottle Tadashi had given Hiro since he woke up.

"Dash. I've peed like every fifteen minutes for the past hour. I don't need another."

"We're flushing it out of your system. Drink."

Hiro snapped at Tadashi, rolling his eyes. "Hiro. Listen to me, please. I just want to help you." Tadashi fabricated an idea, hitting his head in scold for not thinking of it earlier. "I'm stupid! Hold on!" He ran out of the bedroom, being the cause of a few minutes of small crashing noises and frustrated murmurs. "AHA!" He'd said loudly, almost loud enough to wake Aunt Cass. Tadashi came barging into the room again, victoriously showcasing a bottle of tums. "Eat two." He tossed the container onto the bed, rolling up his sleeves.

"Ew. Pills. Let's not. I think I know a bit more about my body, bro."

"They're chewable. It'll help you feel much better, I promise." The older boy leaped onto his bed, releasing an exasperated sigh. "If Aunt Cass asks… We… played with Legos…"

Tadashi was drifting off fast, back into well-deserved sleep. That quit a few seconds later when the retching noises started. The teenager jumped up, running over to Hiro. The little boy's face was in the trash can. Sitting the bed, Tadashi met no resistance from the currently grumpy kid. In fact, the older brother started rubbing Hiro's back, wrapping an arm around the cookie-tossing kid. After the first round of what could very well be more to come, Hiro was shaking. Tadashi was only noticing it now, but he was sniffling too. Was this a lot worse than a stomachache?

The thermometer wasn't needed, however, as Hiro wiped his face and showed himself, the boy's face red and tear-stricken. That was why he was shivering and sniveling. "Hiro…?"

The smaller boy threw himself into his big brother's lap, clinging to the taller boy and crying into his shirt.

"I'm… r-really s-sorry, Tadashi… I didn't me-ean it, I s-swear…"

"Shh. I know you didn't. I know how you feel like you just ate a brick. I've gotten sick before too."

"B-But Tadashi…" Hiro gagged, diving for the can again. Tadashi continued to condole him, promising he'd bring him to the hole-in-the wall 'novelty mechanics' store multiple blocks away. Everyone in town knew it was parts for bot fights, so Tadashi forbid Hiro to go there unless with older company. Hiro's sickness ceased again, the small kid nodding and wiping his eyes dry. "You're the best big brother, Tadashi…" Hiro mentioned, curling up against his brother again. Tadashi kissed Hiro's forehead, much like a dad would. "How about you come lay in my bed with me. You always like to sneak in there anyway." Tadashi laughed to himself, giving Hiro a pat on the back. The little boy nodded eagerly, hugging the teen tightly. He was picked up, and brought over to his brother's bed and tucked in. "I'll keep the trash can right here," Tadashi dragged it next to where his little brother was laying, "I want you to wake me up if you hurl any more. Okay?"

"Okay." A meek Hiro replied, staring at the ceiling.

"Try to get some sleep." Tadashi took a deep breath, climbing into bed beside Hiro. "Goodnight, kiddo."

"Night, Dashi." Hiro paused, waiting for his big brother's eyes to close. As soon as they did, he nestled in against Tadashi's side, snuggling against the bigger kid. "Love you." He whispered, before drifting off. And Hiro swore, there was a faint smile on Tadashi's face before he plunged into the most needed sleep of the month.

{A/N: Again, thank you so much for reading! I'll take some requests, too, if there's anything you really want to see!}


	3. Baymax's Design

{A/N: This is loosely based on my childhood, so enjoy!

Disclaimer: All rights reserved.}

Tadashi, 18, flipped through his notebook full of designs. For his tech, he needed a soothing visual design. No way a comforting nurse bot could do its job with a face that seems creepy, like antique owl sculptures. He HAD to make it perfect. He NEEDED to be accepted into his dream school, the San Fransokyo Institute of Technology (SFIT). The showcase was approaching rapidly, and if Tadashi didn't figure out his bot's exterior NOW, he might not be able to finish a prototype to show off. "It could help so many people… So many…" He sighed in frustration, taking off his old baseball cap, and dropping it to the desk in front of him. The hat castes a shadow on his textbook, considering the only light Tadashi was working under was his desk lamp.

Tadashi smiled, his late night wired emotions making him think obscurely. He suddenly recalled the day he got the hat…

Tadashi was never really into sports much. He didn't play sports every season in high school, never played in recreational leagues, and didn't get any scholarships to universities on his athletic ability. There was only one exception. When it came to the San Fransokyo Ninjas, Tadashi was all about them. His father was a die-hard Ninjas fan, and that made the team all the more special to Tadashi. The last game the two attended together, about a month before Tadashi suddenly became an orphan, the father had also brought Tadashi's younger brother, Hiro, who was a small toddler at the time. The occasion was Tadashi's 9th birthday. When told he was allowed to bring a buddy from school, the birthday boy chose his baby brother instead. Little Hiro grasped onto Tadashi's hand the whole game. The two were practically inseparable. Mr. Hamada delighted the kids, suggesting they all go get a treat from the concourse. The 3 boys ventured up into the sticky cement freeway of overpriced shops, and happened to end up nowhere near the Cracker Jack and hot dogs they'd originally left their seats for.

No, they ended up in the team store, where it was all Ninjas merchandise. Hiro wandered away from his older brother, claiming he wanted to see all the toys 'over there', albeit Tadashi wasn't really paying attention. He was too busy holding a conversation with his father. The two looked at possible gifts, the father gauging the birthday boy's appeal to all items. He'd just held up a poster to show his eldest son when a clumsy Hiro tripped back into view, wearing adult larges of every clothing the store sold. A t-shirt's sleeves reached his forearms, the shirt's hem resting at the little boy's knees. And the sandals, certainly the cause of tripping, we're likely twice the size of Hiro's tiny feet. A baseball cap covered his face and most of his nose, the hole-riddled smile being the only thing really showing on this 'masked' person. Hiro had lost one of his front teeth at the time, as well as one of his canines.

Tadashi cracked up at the sight of his little brother, and their father chuckled. The 3 year old looked up at his two role models, waving his arms. "Daddy, Dashi! Lookie how big stuff is here!" The father of the two chuckled, taking out his digital camera and snapping a shot of his youngest. He then began to take the huge clothes off his son, smiling sweetly the whole time.

"You're unbelievable, Hiro. So silly." He mentioned, hanging the shirt on a wooden hanger. Next he returned the sandals, with Tadashi's help. The last item on the checklist was the baseball cap, which rather than returning to the rack, Mr. Hamada took the hat off of Hiro's messy head of hair, and crowned Tadashi with it, pushing the brim down over his face too. "How about it? You can grow into it over the years."

Tadashi elbowed his dad, returning the brim to above his eyebrows. "I'd love it, dad."

Right after his words, Hiro was tugging on both of their legs again. This time he wasn't ridiculously dressed, but holding a small teddy bear, perfectly sized for the small kid. He'd been holding it the whole time, Tadashi just hadn't noticed it earlier. The toddler pleaded for it, even giving the adorable face. Mr. Hamada gave in, buying both trinkets for his sons, and Tadashi wore the hat out of the store like a champ.

He'd brought the embroidered hat to school every day for two weeks, before he left it on a foot post of his bed, and ceased to wear it. Just like many things kids get; they use and move on, typically.

The hat remained dormant there, until another two weeks passed, and so did their parents in a fatal accident. Tadashi sulked into his room after first hearing the news, tears stinging the carpet as he walked. The boy had collapsed on his bed, hugging it for what would be the last time. Later that day he and his brother were to move in with their unmarried Aunt in her Painted Lady house/family business. A solid and small item clattered to the floor as he cried. Tadashi had glanced up, realized it was the hat his father gave him, and worn it basically everyday afterwards.

Tadashi ran a hand over the hat, feeling the SFN stitched on. The logo was now outdated, but he didn't care. It was his staple. Everyone who knew him knew that was his hat. It was a symbol of him. The 18 year old laughed to himself, fitting it back onto his black hair. He pushed his notes aside, opening a drawer just under the desktop. After five minutes of rifling through he'd found the item he was looking for; a small, curled up print of a picture. The picture of his 3 year old brother in oversized clothes, holding a brand new teddy bear.

The college-bound kid dropped the photo, grinning. "Yes. YES!" He pumped his fist, shooting up and sending his chair rolling. A disapproving snore came from his sleeping brother to the left, and Tadashi cupped his own mouth and celebrated his idea in silence. Creeping over, the older brother pulled Hiro's blanket back gently, seeing the 12 year old boy curled up. In his hands was a little stuffed figure. The thing was so used that the fur was ground to half the fluff it once was, and the ninjas logo was faded to white and orange. The mouth was completely gone, and most of the face's fur was extremely worn. There was a stain between the eyes, remnants of one time when Hiro was sick and had to take liquid medicine in bed. And spilled it.

Tadashi smiled, kissing his brother's temple before walking back over to pick up his notebook. He had it now; a simple design. Based on that bear of his brother's. In his notebook, he scribbled down a pear-like body shape, and a flattened circle of a head. He was messing up every time by adding a detailed face. Keep it easy, like that worn down teddy. This gave Tadashi a face with two eyes, and a 'stain' between. "Perfect." He breathed, tossing the notebook aside and collapsing onto his own bed, quickly falling asleep in the clothes he'd worn that day.


	4. Tadashi, Mr Not-So-Perfect

{A/N: Yes, I am taking requests! Also, this collection may not go in order. Such as now, takes place the earliest of the 4 I've written. Also, even though I typically have Tadashi 6 years older than Hiro, I'm having this one take place between Tadashi and Hiro's birthdays, so he's ten and Hiro is three.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: All characters and the setting is property of Walt Disney Animation Studios, and all rights are reserved.}

It had been 8 months since the accident had killed the biological parents of Tadashi and Hiro Hamada. They'd been driving to a date night when the sleep-deprived truck driver hit. Ever since, Tadashi had taken his little bro under his wing, through the good and bad phases of attitude. The kids' forms were signed to transfer them to San Fransokyo house of juvenile men, an all-boy orphanage, when their father's sister signed the adoption papers and took the boys in as her own. And based on how these past eight months had gone, it was so much more than she'd imagined.

One was a toddler, and one was ten. That made for two very needy bodies suddenly living in the woman's Painted Lady, in which she ran a successful cafe out of the ground floor. They were both going through something that was way too emotionally heavy for kids their age to have to go through. In fact, it was too much for anyone to have to go through. But these two boys were unstable, and quite the handful. Cass had fallen for them though. They'd taken her heart and run off with it, providing her with the family she needed.

The toddler was fine behaviorally. Not much more than she'd expect from him, he was handling the news very well. Cass secretly wondered if he understood what had happened.

The ten year old was a pretty good kid too, although he could get into his moods. There were times when he would shut down, snapping at everyone he talked to and refusing to do chores and homework.

One time Hiro ran down the stairs, tripped, and fell. The boys' Aunt was busy tending the lunch rush, so she called Tadashi asking if he would clean up his younger brother. The response she received back from the ten year old was "Tell Hiro to stop falling down the steps, instead! I'm not his nurse!" That left Cass with a busy cafe, crying toddler, and disobedient third grader, all of which she had to care for at once. Boy, was that a fun day.

Things changed, though, and it all was because of a donut.

"Hiro, Tadashi! Can you come here?" As soon as the Aunt called, the two boys were downstairs, out of their shared room. They knew very well her reason of calling; the woman was running out for errands. That meant the two would have the house to themselves. "Café is closed, I'll be back in an hour, okay? Just some grocery shopping. I have my cell phone, call me if you need anything, okay?"

The two boys chimed in sync, "We love you, Aunt Cass."

"I love you too." She smiled, kissing both on the forehead before she headed out the door, the café's bell jingling to signal her departure.

Tadashi smiled at Hiro. "First one to the couch gets to pick the game." Having the longer legs and better coordination, it was no real contest. The two loved truth or dare, scrabble, clue, and nearly any other board game put in front of them.

An intense game of hide and seek ensued, Hiro at one point hiding in a cupboard. Tadashi never would've found him had he not closed the door on his t-shirt in a way where it stuck out a little. The game was followed by tag, which winded both of the boys.

"Running… Makes me… phew…" Little Hiro huffed, grabbing onto Tadashi's calf for support.

"Hungry?" Tadashi's face was red, the boy ruffling a hand through Hiro's hair. "Come on, we live in a café. Let's just grab something to eat." Tadashi picked up his younger brother and brought him downstairs to the ground floor, while he protested.

"Dashi, that's no good! Auntie Cass has told us before, no eating the bakery stuff! Plus, she'll be home soon! She can make us food! You know Auntie is the best cook ever! Maybe she's gonna make us wings…" The kid went on and on. Tadashi wondered when he'd take a breath.

"Hiro, don't worry." The older boy put Hiro down, making his way behind the counter. "Aunt Cass is at the supermarket. It's probably packed, plus she'll stop at Mrs. Masuda to chat, and then probably buy something at the bookstore." Tadashi reasoned, opening the display case and dropping a piece of fudge on a napkin.

"But Dashi… She said she'd be home in an hour…" Hiro pestered as Tadashi took a bite out of his treat to emphasize.

"Am I in trouble right now?" The older said, with a mouthful.

Hiro gave in after Tadashi finished safe and soundly, his brother moving aside as the small kid clambered up and grabbed a chocolate-frosted donut. He was reluctant, before sinking his little teeth into the sweet desert.

"_**HIRO**_!"

Aunt Cass scolded loudly, her voice triumphed over the entrance's bells. "My number one rule! No eating my stock!"

The supermarket was empty.

"I told you I'd be coming home, mister! Why did you break my rule?"

Mrs. Masuda was on vacation.

"And now you're trying to throw Tadashi under the bus? Save it, Hiro. I trusted you. This is disappointing."

The bookstore was closed.

Tadashi didn't intervene for him or anything. And when the older boy visited Hiro's grounding cell, considering it was their bedroom, Hiro wouldn't look at him.

"Boy, is Aunt Cass stressed. Those donuts were goners anyway." Tadashi tried to lighten his brother's mood.

Hiro shot the best toddler-glare he could muster. "This is your fault, you know."

Tadashi shook his head. "I didn't get caught."

"That doesn't change anything! That just makes it unfair!" Hiro sassed, hitting a palm to the bed in fury.

"Maybe if you didn't hesitate-"

"Maybe if you cared a little, I wouldn't be the only one punished here!"

Tadashi scowled, throwing his books onto his bed. "That's just rude."

"You're rude! Get outta here!" Hiro stomped over and stared out the balcony door. The Hamadas had a small deck of plants, which was hidden from the street's view.

Tadashi crossed his arms, huffing and walking back downstairs, where he passed by his questioning Aunt offering no answers besides "I'll be downstairs."

Tadashi cooled off from the fight by reading the newspaper and doing crossword puzzles. "Awh," he sighed to himself as the word 'reprimand' came up. "I goaded the kid… He looks up to me. He listened to me. And he got in trouble and I ditched him." The ten year old regretted his actions, and dropped his pencil. With a long, exasperated sigh, he shoved the puzzles away and stood up. He had to be the better man now. For Hiro.

The kid walked up to the third floor again, clasping his hands together as he stood in the doorway. "Hiro?"

No response.

"Hiro, please don't play games. I want to apologize."

Nothing.

Tadashi walked over to the lump on his little brother's bed. "Please, Hir-" Tadashi froze when the covers were pulled back.

The bed was empty.

Something whistled in Tadashi's ear, and he yelped.

"Tadashi? Hiro? You two okay up there?" The steps could be heard, she was probably on the second of third one.

Tadashi nervously laughed. "Yeah, Aunt Cass! We're good! We're uh… Actually having some serious bro code going on, so… We need to be alone for a bit, okay? Eheh… We'll be down when we're done!" He doubted that was believable, but it was all he had. Aunt Cass couldn't know that Hiro was missing.

"Uhm… Okay?" Aunt Cass was sketchy on it, but decided to let boys be boys.

Something moving caught Tadashi's eyes. It was the curtain near the staircase, blowing ever so slightly. Taking a screwdriver, Tadashi pulled back the curtain and prepared to fight whatever was making it move, holding out the tool threateningly. It was just the door to the balcony, which was left a crack open and causing the draft. Tadashi muttered some choice words as his eyes followed a trail of dirt to the edge of the balcony, before it disappeared. The brown footsteps were toddler-sized.

The ten year old threw the door open, running outside. They had a vine wall, which was built in a lattice that Hiro must've used as a ladder. Tadashi dropped his weapon and climbed down into a dark alley behind their house, slipping on one of the last steps and falling to the concrete. "Ugh," he muttered, dusting himself off. "HIRO!" Tadashi yelled, gaining his footing again. Where would a 3 year old be happy going? The kid shook his head running throughout the twisted alleyways. "HIRO!** HIROOO!**" Tadashi stumbled around a corner, tripping over a family's garbage and face planting to the ground. His brother was gone. A 3 year old boy, the only immediate family he had left, out on the streets of San Fransokyo alone. Tadashi didn't bother getting up off the ground. He was a horrible brother, a horrible person. He hated everything. And he started crying uncontrollably.

Tadashi Hamada had only really cried when he attended his parents funeral.

And just when he was at his lowest, Tadashi heard a small voice.

"Dashi? Dashi… a-are you crying?"

Tadashi drew in a hard sniffle, blinking and sitting up a bit. He was now eye-to-eye with small brown eyes, a button nose, and uncontrollable hair. "Dashi?! What happened?!" Hiro threw his arms around his big brother, sniffling himself. He didn't like it when Tadashi was upset.

"Hiro!" Tadashi quickly grabbed the boy, sitting up and pulling him into his lap. "Shh, Hiro… Tadashi is here…" The older brother nearly squeezed the life out of the tiny kid, happily crying over his shoulder. "I'm so sorry… For everything, Hiro. Promise me Hamada brothers stick together from this day on, no matter what?"

Hiro clung to his big brother. "I…" The two both wiped their eyes, nodding at the other. "Absolutely."

Tadashi cracked a smile, his eyes still glinting and glassy. "Let's get home before Aunt Cass finds out."

The older Hamada put the small Hiro atop his shoulders, carrying him back through the winding, shady back roads of their native city. Tadashi was extremely careful climbing the vine wall with one arm, cradling Hiro in the other. Once back safe and sound, the two grabbed each other's hand, sharing the last of the sniffles and agreed that the Hamada brothers would never fight again. The three year old yawned, and Tadashi picked him up.

After a few minutes of silence, he spoke. "Hiro?"

Out cold.

"From now on… I promise to be a responsible role model for you. You and I, we'll be the best kids around. We're gonna be an unbeatable team. I promise."

The kid had no heart to drop his little brother off into his respective bed. So the two crashed in Tadashi's curled up together in their dirty, pavement-caked clothes.

Aunt Cass knocked on the door at the top of the stairs. 'Bro Code'. They hadn't come down, like promised. "Hiro? Tadashi?"

When there was no answer, she pushed the door open. "Kids?" The lights were off. Where were they?

Her eyes panned left, past a folded up screen as she saw a larger lump than usual on Tadashi's bed. Creeping over, she found the two brothers all snuggled together. "My boys…" Aunt Cass snapped a photo on her phone, smiling at it. "They're the cutest in the world."

{A/N: "Tadashi is here" to comfort Hiro ugh I hate myself}


	5. Sleepy Head

{A/N: Short one, just wanted to throw something humor and cute in there. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Walt Disney Animation Studios.}

Hiro Hamada was a cutie. Not in the fact where girls threw themselves at him, but more about how adults cooed over him when he walked into the room. He's been called adorable. Precious. Charming. Darling. He'd been fawned over countless times. And he really hated it sometimes. And it was totally all Tadashi's fault.

Well, there was Hiro's short height. And there was his messy hair. And his scrawny look. And don't get started on the tooth gap. All of these surely played part in him being a prime cheek-pinching victim… Okay, so it wasn't really Tadashi's fault at all. Hiro just liked messing with his big brother, and the feeling was mutual.

Tadashi learned something about Hiro when he was 12, and the younger kid was 6.

Hiro was teased for what would be the first of many times in school. The kid had kept it cool in the car with Aunt Cass, but as soon as he'd clambered upstairs and found his idol laying there, Hiro knew he was safe to let it out. He sprinted, flinging himself onto the bigger bed with the bigger boy.

"Daashi…" He whined, crawling up and onto his big brother's chest, forcing Tadashi to stop reading the magazine he had been.

"Hiro! What's up, Kiddo? Why the long face?" Tadashi would trade in the newest 'This Week In Science' edition for interaction with his little dork of a brother anyway, so he didn't mind much. The older kid held Hiro's waist, suspending the boy in the air. The kid, however, looked on the verge of tears.

"Dashi… T-They weren't nice…" Hiro sniffled at Tadashi, trying his hardest to grab the big kid in a hug.

Tadashi felt a deep anger brewing for the first time since the donut incident a year and a half ago. He knew kids bullying Hiro would strike this deep, steaming nerve of his, because the kid now understood rage, just from that one sentence. Rage and worry. "Who wasn't nice to you?!"

"The k-kids, Dashi… the other k-kids…" Poor little Hiro finally fell against Tadashi's chest, quickly making himself at home by snuggling in.

"You're here now. Dashi is here. Hiro… Are you crying?"

Instant discard of that idea from the six year old. "N-no! I'm a big boy, like you. Big boys don't c-cry." He protested, even though Tadashi could feel his shirt the slightest bit damp.

"Hiro, crying's a natural response in this scenario. I don't judge you."

And thus, the tears began. It wasn't ugly sobbing, just sniffling and wet cheeks as Hiro told him everything.

As Hiro talked and cried, Tadashi eventually began gently finger-combing through the distraught kid's hair. He quieted down very soon after, the tears being replaced by a yawn and a content smile. "Hmm." Tadashi gently untangled a knot behind Hiro's ear, while the little kid closed his eyes.

"Thank… Thanks, Tadashi…" Hiro mumbled, falling asleep on his older brother, when minutes earlier he'd been teary eyed and showed no sign of tiredness. It amazed Tadashi.

And it was totally something to keep in mind for later.

It quickly became Hiro's Kryptonite. But only Tadashi knew, and boy did he exploit it.

When Hiro started attending illegal bot fights, Tadashi would talk to Hiro about the consequences while ruffling the top of the kid's hair.

At first Tadashi only did it to mess with his little brother. Whenever his larger hands would even near Hiro's head, the younger Hamada would duck or put his hood up and protest. But sometimes, Tadashi could sneak it in, and Hiro didn't even notice until he was half asleep.

Then Tadashi started using it whenever Hiro had a nightmare, or was wired and too busy thinking to sleep.

But no matter the occasion, the process was the same.

Tadashi would start tousling Hiro's mop head, and Hiro would start to yammer nonsense, usually trailing off in the middle of something that made no sense. Then Hiro would crash, snoozing away in a peaceful-looking sleep. Tadashi would smile, tell his unconcious brother that he loved him, and tuck the boy in with a small pat to the cheek before leaving him to his slumber.

And every time, Hiro would wake up and tell himself this wouldn't keep happening if he just got a haircut.

{A/N: Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed this one, it's pretty cute man.}


	6. Contagious

{A/N: This is a request! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: All rights reserved.}

"**ACHOO**!"

The kid in the desk next to him sneezed, and Hiro recoiled. If there was anything Hiro was learning about high school, here as a freshman at 11 years old, it was that older kids were disgusting.

Hiro came grumbling home all that week. He'd had a constant migraine, which slumped one day into the next to make the school week a living nightmare. From Wednesday to Friday, he couldn't ever recall what day it was unless he asked someone else. Friday afternoon, he tossed his backpack onto the table, the boy thanking his lucky stars that one sneezing kid was absent from Tuesday on. He didn't need to be grossed out AND annoyed.

His aunt greeted him at the door, a heaping pile of truffles in her arms, all for her boys as a snack. Tadashi went to high school with Hiro, and provided transportation on his scooter. Tadashi scooped up four or five truffles in his hand, devouring them quickly. Usually, though, he was no match for his blooming little brother. Today, however, Hiro was exhausted from having to deal with _people, _and wasn't feeling too hungry, for a change. So he took one, thanked his aunt through a long exhale, and went up to his room.

Staring at the piece of chocolate in his hands, Hiro shook his head. He didn't want to eat it at all. So he flicked the small ball into his trash can, laying back. The boy scratched his cheek, trying to think of something that would bring up his spirit. He mulled over it, before deciding first thing's first, he had to get pain reliever for his headache. He'd had enough of it already. The boy trudged into the shared bathroom, pulling open a cabinet and rifling through. His brother, who recently became really invested in medical care, would give him blue pills whenever he was in pain. That was all Hiro remembered about them. He grabbed a container, reading the brand name. It seemed right to him, so the kid brought them out of the bathroom and sat down, struggling with the Kid-proof lid. "TADASHI! I NEED YOUR ASSISTANCE!" He called down the flight of stairs, giving up. When the taller boy bounded up the stairs with a smile, he walked over to the little brother's desk. Hiro scratched his cheek, figuring out he must've had a mosquito bite, while his big brother snatched up the pill bottle.

"… Hiro. Why do you have a bottle of laxatives?" Tadashi's as trying to contain laughter. Trying, and failing.

"Whaddya mean?!" Hiro stole it back, reading the label. 'Waste excretion assistant' pill. "Tadashi, shut up… This gets to no one. Can you get me a pain killer?"

"For that knarly pimple of yours?" Tadashi poked the red part of Hiro's face, which he'd been running his fingers over.

The self-conscious kid held a hand covering it. "Shut up! No! For a headache!" He called out, as his brother laughed and disappeared into the bathroom. The tall kid came back out with a new bottle, tossing it to his little brother.

"One every eight hours. No more, okay?" Tadashi instructed Hiro, who'd already swallowed a pill. "Stop touching your blemish. It'll make it worse."

"Sorry. Thanks, Tadashi." The taller boy poked his brother's forehead in response to that, smiling.

"Of course, kiddo. Hope your head feels better." He said, before leaving his younger brother in peace.

Hiro immediately started scratching his face again absent-mindedly.

At dinner, Hiro barely touched his food. And that caused a question assault from Aunt Cass. "Do you not like it? Is something wrong? Did something happen at school? Do you feel ok?"

Hiro answered in a monotone voice as he pushed his mashed potatoes around with a fork. "No, no, no, and… No, not really."

Aunt Cass puckered her mouth a bit in concern. "Well, what's wrong?" She said after pausing. Tadashi took a sudden interest in all things Hiro.

"Stomachache… I'm fine, really. No big deal." Hiro held up a hand, the other anxiously scratching at his neck since all eyes were on him. Even Mochi stared.

"Hiro…" Tadashi's voice was warning of some kind of lecture, but before Hiro could interrupt, he'd finished his sentence. "Move your hand for a second." The eleven year old complied, holding his hands in his lap as he sheepishly looked down. "Hiro… why do you have a bump on your neck, too? And what happened to that pimple, it looks more like a bug bite now…" Tadashi inspected his brother from across the table. "It looks like hives, but weird, cause it's only the two dots… Aunt Cass? Do you think you could make a doctors appointment for him? Like, tonight?" Tadashi asked, pushing away from the table and walking over to his brother.

"I'm **FINE**, Tadashi! This isn't a big deal! Just a stomachache. And a few bug bites. Nothing major." Hiro crossed his arms, huffing. His nose suddenly itched, but that wouldn't help his case.

Half an hour later, Hiro had two more hotspots that Tadashi constantly had to swat away the kid's itching fingers from. "Stop that. Don't touch." The elder insisted upon it, eventually pinning the kid's arms to the tabletop of the island he was sitting at.

Aunt Cass hung up the house phone, turning to her boys. "Hiro's appointment is in half an hour. We're leaving soon." The woman picked up her keys and purse, starting down to the main floor of their home, a café. The boys followed her down, slipping on their shoes which were by the door. Tadashi grabbed a hoodie, and the legal guardian grabbed a peacoat.

"Tadashi-" Hiro began, and was interrupted by his brother grabbing his hand and moving it away from his blemishes. Hiro didn't even know he was scratching them. "Tadashi, I'm fine."

"You most certainly are not. Nausea, headache, loss of appetite, /THOSE/ things… Hiro, you need to go to the doctor's."

Hiro grumbled the whole car ride, while Tadashi held down the kid's hands.

The visit went pretty quickly, with a dreaded verdict:

Hiro Hamada officially had the Chicken Pox.

The good news was Hiro didn't have to go to school at all that next week.

The bad news was Tadashi did. And Hiro broke out with pox all over. And he itched. And it seared in pain to scratch.

Hiro sat in bed, clenching his teeth as his eyebrows tickled, like someone was brushing them with a feather. But it also hurt, like the feather was actually a jellyfish. The kid whined to himself, before his Aunt came into his room, out of breath. She'd taken time out of the lunch rush to make him hot tea and some soup. He graciously took them, since his appetite was back, and she handed him a tube with odd writing. "New prescription for you… It's an ointment to go along with the pills. To help soothe the burn." She mentioned, collecting his empty dishes from that morning and left the room. Hiro was quarantined to his bed by his family- anything he touched or played with was disinfected thoroughly by them wearing latex gloves. Tadashi always took a shower after they sat together, or if he'd brought Hiro a new book, the big brother would read it to him. At least Tadashi DID still interact with him. Originally Aunt Cass wanted Tadashi to spent the week in her bedroom. Tadashi said no, he'd be fine and watch out for the kid.

Taking the new ointment, the ninth grader rubbed it on his face graciously, looking like a ghost afterwards due to the white paste. But it made his face a bracing cold, which he was grateful for. He reapplied it three times a day, along with the meals he now scarfed down as if to make up for his loss of appetite earlier. Tadashi started wearing more and more protective gear when he talked to Hiro, and by the end of the poor sick kid's tirade, Tadashi started wearing full out hospital scrubs.

"Dude." Hiro said, laughing as he walked in through the door. "Where did you even GET those?!" Seeing Tadashi was always the highlight of Hiro's bedridden days.

The older of the two only said "You've gotta be careful, pox are contagious," on the subject, before switching to a new topic.

After losing a week of activities due to the sickness, Hiro had his follow-up appointment. He was almost completely healed, the itching had subsided, and he was feeling much better overall. The doctor said he'd be able to go back to school Monday.

Hiro groaned at that, looking at his big brother, who just retorted with "Relax, you big baby," and a smile. After returning home, Hiro took a shower and stretched, feeling lethargic from a week in bed. He was still contagious, but Aunt Cass lifted the sentence to bed, so long as he was mindful of what he touched and cleaned up after himself. So he stayed on the second floor, where he could actually interact with his family.

They all started having dinner together again. After the meal, the three were chatting and laughing.

"Man," Hiro began, "I'm just glad these pox are all coming to an end."

"And I'm glad you didn't pass it on." Tadashi shoved his brother with a grin. "Bonehead." Then he leaned onto the table running a hand through his hair as Hiro tried to get back at him.

He scratched his neck, smiling at the little kid who idolized him.

Little did he know that itch would look like a bug bite in the morning, and he'd have quite a few of them.


	7. I'm Too Old

{A/n: short one while I work on another chapter! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Disney.}

"I'M LOSING HIM!" A fifteen year old Japanese-American said to his aunt, slapping his fist on the counter in the 2nd floor of their small business/home in the bustling city of San Fransokyo. "NO WAY!" He exclaimed, running upstairs in pursuit of his brother.

In youth, Hiro Hamada loved to 'be all smooshy' with his big brother. Snuggling, kisses on his nose goodnight, struggling for the last hugs (their aunt joined that competition). He loved the late night promises to be inseparable.

But he was defying his younger mindset, right here, right now. Up in their shared room, alone, on his computer googling the latest forums on breakthroughs in technology.

Hiro had come home ten minutes ago, walking in the door and tossing his bag on the café's main counter. "Aunt Cass! I'm home!" He called into a back office, where she usually was around this time of afternoon. The first of the Beat Poetry Night-ers hissed a harsh "SHHHH!" In his direction, to which he allowed himself to crinkle his nose at. Instead of the usual, no one responded from behind the Japanese styled curtain. Hiro propped up the employee counter, walking through before lowering it again. "Aunt Cassie?" The 9 year old shook his head, mentally telling himself he was too old for the childish affectionate name. "I'm home." He pushed the flower design back, revealing the empty room. "Huh." Hiro mumbled to himself, snagging one of the 'defect' cookies his Aunt left in the back room, and headed upstairs to their main living space. Up there was his maternal figure in the kitchen, the family cat weaving through her legs as she hustled about to make brownies.

"Hiro! Welcome home, sweetie. I would come hug you, but-" she held up her stark white fingers and gestured towards her messy shirt. "I'm a bit floury."

Her antics made the boy laugh, swallowing the last of his cookie. As soon as he turned to recede upstairs to his bedroom, he found himself face to face with Tadashi Hamada, the embodiment of everything tempting about acting like a little kid. The perfect target for a pouty face. An amazing hugger. The best at telling stories. Everything Hiro was trying to convince himself he didn't need anymore. He was a man now.

"T-Tadashi! What the- Ew!" The kid struggled back at his older brother. Tadashi was hugging him now, something Hiro never asked for. The smaller boy was trying, key word: trying, to push his elder's hands off his sides. He didn't want to be babied.

Next came the tall, muscular teen's pout. "Hirrooo. What happeneedd at schooollll?" He cooed to the small boy, ruffling the kid's disheveled hair.

"Nothing! …Bye!" Hiro tried to escape, but was easily picked up and smothered once more by his overly affectionate brother. Their Aunt got a real kick out of the scene, paying no attention to the burning brownies in the oven. The boys were getting some new rejects soon.

The worst for Hiro was when Tadashi tried to kiss his cheek. Hiro squirmed and thrashed, managing to wiggle out of his brother's grip and quickly fled the wrath by darting upstairs. Tadashi looked upset as his little brother sprinted away. He usually giggled at the teen's greeting.

That said, Tadashi may have overthought the situation just a little.

"I'M LOSING HIM!" A fifteen year old Japanese-American said to his aunt, slapping his fist on the counter in the 2nd floor of their small business/home in the bustling city of San Fransokyo. "NO WAY!" He exclaimed, running upstairs in pursuit of his brother. Aunt Cass leaned onto the counter Tadashi had raged on, covering her face I'm attempt to hide her amusement. These kids could be so crazy sometimes.

Upstairs, a few loud disgruntles, 'blech's, and 'Tadashi!'s could be heard, undoubtedly from her younger nephew. After a few minutes, however, the younger kid had given in to the small child inside of him, and quietly let his brother be the loving weirdo he always had been.


	8. How to Convince Your Aunt to Get a Pet

{A/N: Hi! Sorry if this isn't up to quality, I didn't get to do this all in one sitting like the others. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to their rightful owners!}

Tadashi liked caring for people. And animals, for that matter.

And in a city like San Fransokyo, that could easily become a big problem.

You had those who weren't thankful; the people who would drop their things and hiss at any passerby who tried to help, spitting out multiple "Don't touch my stuff!"s.

Then there were the conspiracy theorists, who whenever Tadashi offered a place to sit inside and food to, they'd look horrified and run away, calling Tadashi awful names.

**_He just wanted to help._**

Tadashi was in eighth grade when Hiro broke his arm, but that's a story for another day.

The 14 year old kid, afterwards, had an increasing spike in interest of health care. After basic biology the year before, Tadashi could identify why Hiro was in pain and minimal diognostics; which bone was broken, and how it was fractured. Anything that could help his baby brother, Tadashi lived for.

That idea blossomed into Tadashi's unconditional want to help EVERYONE, even strangers.

Even strays.

The thing about Tadashi- he had a lifelong bad habit of bringing home animals. It started in about fifth grade, when he found a mouse while taking out the trash. Aunt Cass screamed when he brought it inside, worried both about the diseases that thing could carry, and her reputation of a cafe owner if her nephews were bringing rodents inside regularly. Needless to say, Tadashi had to return that one to the street.

That was when his habit peaked. Tadashi used to bring home all kinds of old pets, about once or twice a week. Three years later, however, Tadashi only brought them in about once a month.

Two weeks before _IT_, the animal was a Cockapoodle puppy. The tossed-aside animal stole Tadashi's heart with its big glassy eyes and dirty, mangy coat. Well, matted all except for a few perfect curls framing its face, that is. The dog was scratching at a garbage bag when Tadashi set out to discard the Hamada's waste, and whimpered while cowering when the boy came outside. Being the compassionate kid he was, Tadashi quickly rushed over, scooped up the dog, and took it inside for a bath and meals. Of course, whenever instances like this happened, the brothers would both fall in love with the creature (even though it was occasionally a rodent), and beg Aunt Cass with their most compelling pouty faces to keep it. Usually she was pretty good about ensuring the animal did not become a part of the family. After all, she ran a cafe, not a zoo. Other times, though, she'd be very close to cracking under the boys' begging. However, none of the others managed to succeed. The others just didn't know how to play off Aunt Cass like he did, to have her wrapped around his finger.

Tadashi was walking home from school one day, considering his bike had been broken at the time. Sure 23 blocks could be pretty lengthy, but Tadashi loved the city. Sometimes he'd stop in a hole-in-the-wall shop and buy a trinket or food oddity just to try it out. Other times he'd have headphones in and keep to himself on his quest home.

However this day wasn't grand; with his earbuds left at home and allowance spent on gummy candy for his dork of a brother, Tadashi had nothing to do but people-watch and observe the city. Even in details he hadn't before, like how the light casted differently on a foggy day than a clear one. Even how the streets were actually an array of dark gray mottled asphalt, not straight up black. And especially the whimpers from the branches of a tree decoratively placed on the edge of a sidewalk.

The kid first thought it was coming from behind a fire hydrant, unable to identify it in the beginning. Then he realized it must've been a small creature, cause these sounds were high-pitched and human. And really quiet.

Disregarding the public giving him odd glances, Tadashi soon noticed the rustle of leaves that accompanied the noise and reached up INTO the sidewalk's plant. Pushing away leaves an peeking inside the foliage, he identified the problem as a stereotypical Cat-Stuck-In-a-Tree scenario, but with a few twists. There was no elder woman pleading for her poor baby, for someone to please rescue it. In fact, no one seemed to notice it at all besides the middle schooler. Also, the cat was SMALL. As in, unnaturally small. And caked in dirt in some spots on its back. Tadashi stretched up, trying to scoop up the small animal (since it was smaller than his hand), but fell short due to his backpack snagging on the ropes tying the tree in place. The boy soon dropped the bag, worming his head into the tree's hollow shape of leaves. Inside it was mainly just twigs, with green sprouts branching off; clearly a space someone clipped as often as a bonsai tree. He wrapped his longer hand around the cat's tiny stomach, lifting it off the small branch it had dug its tiny claws into. The poor trembling thing had even clutching for dear life, and was now doing the same to Tadashi's hand. The boy accidentally gained a few scratches on his cheeks in the process of exiting his upper body from the foliage, but he didn't mind.

This cat needed him.

Walking 8 blocks with a micro-sized kitten around his palm was certainly a new experience for the kid. Tadashi finally reached his home, pushing open the public door, despite the 'CLOSED' sign being hung. The boy was thoroughly confused; this was a hot time of the day. Why was the cafe closed? He was greeted at the foot of the staircase by his dork of a brother, who's arm was still in a cast from his accident earlier in the year. He hadn't seemed to notice the fact Tadashi was holding something, or he just chose not to comment.

"Dashi! You're home! I've been so _BORED_ just sitting here."

"Hiro-" Tadashi paused, giving his brother a half hug. "Where's Aunt Cass? Why are we closed?… Why are you home?!" The older of the two fired back to back to back, which were expertly responded to by the younger sibling.

"I wasn't feeling well. Neither is Aunt Cass. Auntie's sleepin' now. She has been for a few hours. Apparently she felt like she was gonna toss more cookies than she keeps in stock out here." Tadashi gulped. A- That was TMI. B- Aunt Cass was NOT a happy camper when she wasn't feeling well. She got exceedingly cranky at the slightest things.

"WHAT THE HECK IS THAT?!" Hiro screeched, using his mobile arm to point at Tadashi's hands. Someone's a little late.

"Shhhhh!" The older brother hushed him, putting his free hand on Hiro's mouth. "I found this little guy stuck in a plant today. He's really skinny. See those lines? Those are his ribs poking out against his stomach. And all this dirt caked in-" Tadashi was yet again cut off by Hiro, who was already searching for something to feed that mewing cat.

"Can you give it a bath while I look? Also, while you're in there, check out your face. Looks like that thing has got claws."

Tadashi knew a smart-alec response was going to follow, so he fled up the staircase before it arrived. Dropping his backpack, the boy navigated back to the bathroom on the second floor. He made sure to tiptoe past his aunt's room, slow in opening and shutting the bathroom door. "Come on, little guy. A single bath. No biggie, right?" He brought the cat to eye-level, beaming warmly. "Right." Turning on the faucet, Tadashi managed to find a soft liquid soap and gently placed the little animal down. Disoriented, it tried to cling to the floor where it stood. However, the cat's efforts proved fruitless, as its claws only scratched on the porcelain surface of the tub. The boy couldn't help but chuckle at this, squirting some soap and lathering it between his fingers laboriously. He then reached over, beginning to massage the foam against the mottled fur of the kitten. "Shh…" The boy cooed, the rancid smell unleashed when he started breaking away unidentified dirt on its back. "I know cats don't like water." Tadashi grabbed a small paper cup, filling it with water and gently dumping it on the cat; the animal hissed, arching its back. The kid repeated this a few times, until the dirt had transferred from fur to dissolved in the water, turning it brown. Tadashi drained the tub, grabbing a washcloth and attempting to dry the kitten off. His hands came out a little more scathed than originally, but he'd gotten the job done. The cat was placed on the bathroom tile, Tadashi cleaning his new cuts and covering them as it tried to dry itself further.

Unfortunately, since he was so focused on the small streaks of crimson on his hands, the teenager had failed to notice he'd left the door open, and that the cat darted out of there. But at that point, it was too late. "No!" The kid whisper-yelled, throwing open the door only to see a tiny tabby tail disappearing into his guardian's bedroom. Tadashi was quick and quiet to follow the small thing inside, just to watch in despair as it made itself comfortable up against Aunt Cass's stomach while she slept. The woman mumbled something, stirring. The boy gripped his hair, wondering what else could happen. And that's when Hiro showed up with a few lukewarm meatballs he'd probably warmed up in the microwave.

"Tadashi, this is the best I could fin- Why is he with Auntie?!" Hiro spat, elbowing his older brother.

"Hiro, we are _**SO**_ dead."

Their Aunt woke up about an hour later, to bustling in her personal kitchen. Quickly, she recognized the voices as her nephews', and strained to listen in, albeit it was in another room.

"Food maybe?" That was definitely Hiro.

"Maybe. It's not like we have pet toys, you know? We just gotta get it out of there before Aunt Cass wakes up..." Tadashi's words peaked her interest; what were they keeping from her?

She was answered by a meow, to which she screamed.

"... Too late."

Cass felt a small furball on her hand as she sat up straight. A cat was playing with one of her fingers. The woman stifled another screech, biting her lip. "T-Tadashi! Hiro!" She called for the boys, squeezing her eyes shut. The cat looked like a big rat. Way cuter than one, she had to admit, but still a comparable size. The boys raced in, faces white. Before she could say anything, Tadashi shared his pity story of the kitten; how it was alone and how it's malnourished. He explained it was exceedingly young, that he just wanted to feed it a bit to keep it alive. He promised they didn't have to keep it, and that seemed to be good enough for the Aunt.

The cat refused to go anywhere Cass didn't from that moment on. At the table it was at her feet, at night it was against her arm, when she took a shower it sat in the bathroom and quietly meowed in protest. Hiro was the first to catch her feeding it treats after a week.

"Aunt Cass, You like this cat, don't you?" He nudged.

"It's cute. But we're not keeping it." She would always respond. However, the animal managed to infiltrate the Hamada house for over two weeks, longer than any other animal.

A month had gone by and neither the kids nor the adult had mentioned the extended stay of the animal. Once their aunt came home with a small bag of cat food, however, Tadashi attempted to question.

"So, Aunt Cass…" He started, scooping out some of the food for the unnamed cat. "About the cat…" the boy began, but was cut off.

"Mochi. He needed a name. Let's have it be Mochi. He liked it when I fed him some the other day. It was like cat nip." The teenager looked down at the animal, who had grown quite a bit since they first brought him home, in both size and weight.

"Aunt Cass… The ca- er, Mochi, seems pretty healthy now considering. Do you want me to drop him off at the shelter, or ask aro-" Tadashi was cut off yet again by his Aunt.

"Tadashi." She started, but stopped there and just stared at her eldest nephew.

"Tadashi… You've always wanted a pet… If you'd like, we can give… You know, having a pet a go…?" Cass said, although it was clear in inflection she wanted to keep the cat. Tadashi beamed, hugging his aunt tightly. "Yes… Love you Aunt Cass…" he whispered, excitement bubbling in his voice.

Who knew so much would come from his one crappy day weeks ago? What would've possibly foreshadowed that the cat would hold a place in his family?

Tadashi just knew the cat needed him.

**_He just wanted to help_**.


	9. Never Building a Snowman Again

{A/N: Just something short for the holidays! Enjoy!

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Walt Disney Animation studios.}

Hiro had been in there for fifteen minutes now, and couldn't feel anything besides the numbing cold. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

Earlier that day, Tadashi had selflessly made his little brother a mug of hot cocoa. However, he'd failed to mention the fact he spiked it with hot pepper powder, like he'd read about the ancient emperors doing. Hiro took one gulp and did a spit-take, glaring daggers at his older brother. That was when Tadashi ran for his life, out the front door and calling to his Aunt that he was going to visit one of his new high-school friends. Hiro had tried to run out in pursuit, only to be caught by their guardian and asked for help in the cafe. Thus, a revenge story.

Tadashi said he'd be home at 12:30, in time for the Hamada's to close up early and have a family night together. To Hiro, it seemed like by now it was 5:00 pm. In reality, it was 12:45.

_What is taking him so long?_

Hiro's grand plan was perfectly ready to spring on an unexpecting Tadashi any second now.

That is, if Hiro can still move functionally. The boy's eyes were shut, eyelids freezing. His usually soft, warm cloth was now cold and stiff. No matter how many layers he had on, sitting _inside_ of a snowman for fifteen minutes took a toll. The cold sat in his bones and vibrated, making his body shiver every now and then. He was starting to feel sleepy. He'd been outside for at least an hour beforehand, gathering all the snow on the street to be able to build his embodiment. And serving time inside wasn't his brightest idea, but hey! He assumed Tadashi would be home on time.

Patio eventually crunched nearby, something the boy had been waiting to hear. He listened and caught the hum of his older brother, who was creating small holiday carols underneath his thick scarf. It was time.

Hiro's brain told his body to spring out and scream, therefore scaring his brother's socks off. But nothing happened. He tried again, only to find his will to move non-existent. He couldn't feel his fingers, and tried to curl them in a fist and punch his way out. Not only were his muscles reluctant to cooperate, but the snow had hardened to ice as well. The boy found a weak spot and attempted again, as the opportunity was slipping away. He mustered up more of a groan than a scream, and only managed to slip a few fingers out to the snowman's exterior. Tadashi was startled, sure, but not for the desired reason.

"What the?!" He stumbled back, blinking. The older boy mumbled some inaudible words, and Hiro was positive Tadashi would have had to pay to the swear jar had Aunt Cass heard them. "HIRO!" The Hiro-circle couldn't tell if his brother was angry or surprised. He supposed it was a bit of both as light blinded him.

"You KNUCKLEHEAD!" His brother muttered, shoveling ice off of the younger boy's body, destroying the creation in the process. On the pavement was a spilled brown liquid and paper cup, doubtlessly dropped in haste when Tadashi recognized the boy inside the ice.

"B…Boo…" Hiro shivered, as his older brother started taking off his jackets and wrapping them around the purple and blue kid.

"Stop talking. Conserve energy and heat. You're SO gonna get sick." Tadashi commented, hugging the brother close as he dragged the kid inside. "Aunt Cass!" He called out, carrying his brother now as he ascended the stairs. "I'm home; can you draw a hot bath?" Tadashi laid his brother on the couch as he waited, shredding off his scarf and earmuffs only to adorn them on Hiro. "Bonehead," He began, seeing the little brother frustrated and upset about his inability to move due to being so cold and stiff. "You'll be alright." Tadashi spoke softly, cracking a smile as he sat down next to the freezing kid and wrapped his arms around him to share body heat. "And I know you're a genius and all…" The older brother grinned, hugging Hiro closer. "But can you try to not be such an **_idiot_** next time?"


	10. What to Do When He's Exhausted

{A/N: I keep forgetting to mention this, and I hate that I'm not recognizing it like it deserves! Thank you to everyone who's followed or favorited this story ( or both :D), because it truly means so much to me! And even more so for the Reviewers; thank you for all your kind words! I hope that my new stories give you just as much appeal, and thanks again!

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Disney Animation Studios.}

"Tadashi's upstairs." The 20 year old who was laying on bed sighed inwardly, staring at his ceiling. His aunt was no questionably going to call up the staircase any second now, summoning for the young adult to say hi to an old friend of hers. Then the friend would gush over how tall and strong he was, how they grow so fast and how time flies. Aunt Cass would bring up his newest college grant; how he was one in eight students in the college who was deemed a personal lab. Then he'd get to explain why that was supposedly special.

But no way did he want to peel himself from bed. Tadashi squeezed his eyes shut, preparing for the dreaded words from his aunt's mouth. But they didn't come.

Instead, little feet stampeded up the stairs. Tadashi's lips curled up as he rolled over, facing the wall away for his shared bedroom door.

"Ta-" The young man heard his brother start to say his name excitedly. And Tadashi was almost regretful that he seemed asleep. Almost.

"Oh. I'll tell you later." Hiro smiled, despite the fact his big brother couldn't see. From the sounds that radiated through the now silent room, it was pretty clear Hiro had flopped into his rotating chair, and was now browsing the internet. Tadashi took a deep breath in, which tickled his dry throat, and caused him to cough. The elder of the two sat up, trying to get air in while his diaphragm had the great idea of trying to shutter all the air nearly hacked out a lung while pressing a palm to his chest.

"Ew." Tadashi muttered to himself, at himself. That sounded and felt gross. And as he looked up, he saw his little brother staring at him with a horrified face. "Hiro! What is it you wanted to tell me?" He smiled, which visibly made his brother more at ease. Tadashi was just glad his nose wasn't as stuffy as it was this morning, when he practically woke up from the dead. Or at least that's what it felt like.

"Erm…" The teenager squirmed a bit, hugging one knee up against his chest. His voice became quieter, more mouse-like and almost sheepish. "Today I was tinkering with your stuff again- I know I'm not supposed to, but! And… And I think I figured out a way to strengthen those exoskeleton designs of yours. I even built a mini version of my own sketch! And… I know you won't tell me what you're working on yet, so my design can't be applied in that way. Heck, it might not work at all. But based on what I saw in your notes-" the boy covered his mouth when he said that, like it had spilled out of his mouth unauthorized. The kid was rushing through this all, and rather than scolding him for peeking around in his secret stuff, Tadashi's interest was peaked. He was having infrastructure problems on his semester's quota on his invention. The skeleton was too top heavy at the moment, and he'd been in a rut. Had the kid genius really figured it out for him? "... I-I think it'll help you." Hiro concluded, after he noticed the look of interest on his older brother's face. "We- I mean You would only have to pick some parts up on campus, go to that hardware store... I need some tools for a new thing I've been working on too! We could go together..." Hiro trailed off, his thumb playing with the spring on his desk lamp as he stared at it. Tadashi was thinking; of course he wanted to go get the parts! And he loved spending time with his brother! But… He felt like a lump. And didn't want to get up. Nor did he have the desire to do anything but swallow a few cold pills and go to sleep.

But going to sleep meant surrendering the rest of the night. Surely it wasn't that many hours to lose… it was almost 9, around closing time, right? Tadashi was sure of it. The sky was dark and murky, with all the clouds circling the moon as a gang might around a kid who hustled them in the back streets. The still of late evening was setting in Tadashi's bones. The local hardware store probably wasn't even still open.

The 20 year old glanced at the blue figures shining at him from his desk. 5:04.

Boy, was he out of it.

"Tadashi?" Hearing his name in a cute, little kid-like voice snapped him back to reality. Hiro was sitting at the foot of his bed now, with his legs crossed like a pretzel. When did he get over there?

"Tadashi? Are you feeling okay?" Hiro stared at his big brother with large eyes, his head tilted to the side a bit. "You look pale. And you keep coughing… Dashi, do you not feel up to going? Because that's okay… I'd rather stay and you feel better than some robots." Hiro's hand scratched behind his ear, the boy also looking down a bit. He hadn't used the childhood nickname for his brother in a while now, and all the nervousness in his body language made it clear to Tadashi that his little brother was genuinely concerned.

"I'm okay, Hiro. Really." Tadashi smiled, propping himself up further so he seemed not tired at all, which wasn't true. The older brother took a deep breath, quietly rubbing his eyes to wake himself up. "I'd be up for going."

Hiro feigned a grin, standing up and making his way over to his own side of the room again. "I brought up one of the sketches," he began to explain, fumbling through disorganized notes. "You can look at it while I go get something. I forgot it downstairs. I'll be back." The teenager found the partially crumpled page he was looking for, smoothing it out and bringing it over to Tadashi. "Here," he mentioned, presenting the sloppy notes before heading downstairs again. Tadashi stared at the paper- the bottom half of the skeleton was clearly worked on much harder than the top. The top half was just minimalist, light pencil sketch of what Tadashi's last prototype looked like. But the bottom was smudged with eraser and redrawn in dark pencil, with intricate details included and explained, as well as a few physics equations scrawled in sideways and in small handwriting. Tadashi found the page was paper clipped to an explanation of the 4 kinds of bone movements in the human body, something Hiro definitely used as a reference. Tadashi was so wrapped up in the details, he'd forgotten everything else. Hiro surely made a few mistakes, but there was definitely easy fixes to them all. Little rewirings of things, different joints and pressure sensors. The young adult glanced at his clock again. 5:28.

Where the heck was Hiro? Did he really try to sneak in a bot fight before they left? Tadashi grumbled to himself the elated feeling from the new design gone as he snatched up a small device he usually kept in his pocket. It was the first thing he'd ever built; a small, simple GPS tracker, with the receiving piece in Hiro's unknowing hoodie tag. Just as he pressed the one and only button on it to power it on, the kid came back into the room with a mug in his hands. Tadashi quickly closed his fist over the device, stuffing it under his blankets casually, like he'd just been fixing the comforter. "Hiro? What took you so long…?" The older brother questioned, as the teen made his way over.

"I…" The kid beamed as he handed over the mug, sitting next to his big brother. "I went out and got you a mint and lemon tea. Your favorite." Hiro looked over, offering a gap-toothed grin.

"From One Nine-tea One?" Tadashi asked, as that was the only place in the world probably who made such a concoction.

"One and a half sugar cubes. Brought your mug and asked if they wouldn't mind making it in that. I hope it's still warm..." Hiro rattled off his brother's favorite order. Tadashi felt a surge of pride and appreciation towards his brother; even though the small café was a few blocks away, Hiro had ditched his own plans and gone on his own will just on a whim. The college student raised the cup to his lips, drinking the warm tea before smiling at his brother.

"Hiro." Tadashi set the cup down, grateful for the chill he felt as his nose cleared a bit from the strength of the drink. "These designs are very beneficial. I was in a bit of a rut, too." Tadashi chuckled, which led to a small coughing fit. "Ahem… Hiro, you continue to amaze me. With everything you manage to do." Tadashi hugged his brother tight, his fingers catching Hiro's hair and working their way through a few knots. The younger brother smiled contently and closed his eyes, before yawning quietly.

"H-Hey now." Hiro said, pushing his brother away and scrunching his nose. "No touching the hair. Against the rules." Tadashi laughed at that, picking up his cup.

"Oh, Hiro." He stopped, sipping again as he stared out the window. "You know, I wouldn't trade you for anything in the world."

Well, time may beg to differ.


	11. English Troubles

{A/N: Well in last chapter Tadashi was 20, and in my stories he's 6 years older than Hiro (besides a few months between since they don't have the same birthday). So if he was 20, Hiro was 14... So by the last line I intended it to be about the incident. Unless y'all want some angst that is a tad heartbreaking. Huehuehue...

All rights reserved to Walt Disney Animation Studios.}

_The kid picked up a rifle. The blood was overwhelmingly emotional to see at first, but the 6 year old knew there was nothing else to do. Ripping off a necklace from around his mother's neck, he pocketed it as something he could keep in memory of the gory corpse in front of him. They were coming. It was time for him to become a man; time to shoot guns and take lives, as long as it meant avenging his family._

Tadashi scoffed, quickly shutting the book and casting it aside. No wonder Hiro had such a bad English grade. If he were in Hiro's class, he wouldn't want to read that novel either. The little brother had been failing reading comprehension quizzes, which didn't help his teetering grades due to grammar mistakes. Out of all the subjects, it was the only thing Hiro was still his age's level for. Hiro was 10 and in eighth grade. He skipped 2/3 of middle school. And stuck out like a sore thumb.

The 16 year old sighed, turning his baseball cap on his head, something he only did when stressed. To say Hiro wasn't mature enough wasn't fair; Hiro just was a peculiar kind of mature. He was an expert on hiding sadness, although his blue feeling often showcased itself through rage instead. It was just Hiro's way of life. Because of it and his age difference in the school, Hiro didn't really have friends. But that wasn't the current reason for the older boy's frustration right now.

Tadashi navigated the school's website again, making his way to see Hiro's grades online. All A's so far, except for his English grade of a C. Since he was so intelligent, the boy got a bit cocky. And with the way Hiro's grade was dropping, Tadashi wanted to ensure he wasn't going to be placed in the same grade twice due to lack of proficiency. Standing up, the teenager started downstairs with Hiro's book in hand. If anyone could coax the kid into doing something he didn't want, it was Tadashi.

On the middle level, Aunt Cass was found alone in the kitchen, sitting on a stool with something in her lap. Tadashi assumed it was Mochi, the now-very-fat cat that had once been so small and frail two years ago when he brought the animal home. "Aunt Cass?" He called out, stepping around the pile of Hiro's school items spilling out of his bag and onto the wooden floor. After receiving no response, the boy leaned over the counter she was behind, and found her staring blankly at a pile of papers. "What's up...?" He asked, reaching over. The papers didn't look like original copies, and were written all over in blue ink that matched what Tadashi knew to be his brother's handwriting.

"Your brother… He found the mistakes. Hiro saved us $2,360 on the past three months' submissions **ALONE**." The woman spoke in disbelief, finally meeting eyes with her eldest nephew. "But he's… And… How did-" Cass couldn't even form whole sentences. Tadashi grinned at her like an idiot, placing a hand on her arm.

"He's a really incredible kid, Aunt Cass. He's going to help so many people one day. I know it." Tadashi retorted, before leaving his maternal figure and heading down to the ground level of their home in search of the kid in question. "Hiro?" He whispered loudly wandering through the closed cafe. "Hiro, are you down here?" The teenager mentally cursed himself for not checking the botanical garden patio outside their room; that seemed to be a go-to sneak out spot for his little brother in the past. He hoped his brother wasn't out in the city. He could get involved in underground stuff, and Hiro didn't need a criminal record stopping him from going places. The high schooler called out one more time, but was interrupted by a shift in the dessert display. Jackpot.

Tadashi strolled over, his eyebrows furrowed as he saw the boy curled up and covering his mouth. "Hiro?" He whispered, sliding around the case full of cookies, cupcakes, and donuts. "What's up…?" The older brother sat against the wall across from him, staring at his little sullen looking brother. "Is something wrong?"

Hiro hadn't responded at first. In fact, he refused to look at Tadashi and turned to the side, staring away from the older boy. There was a good seven minutes or so if silence as Tadashi looked to Hiro worriedly, and Hiro ran his fingers along the grooves of the tile. "I'm not smart." Finally, the younger of the two spoke, even if it was solely through a mutter directed at himself.

Tadashi was taken aback. "What?" He'd heard it. And understood the words.

"I'm not some genius, okay, Tadashi?! I'm not overly smart, I shouldn't be in eighth grade. I don't even know if I WANT to be in eighth grade. You guys just signed me up for the tests anyways, and here I am, in an attempt to lump me in with all these older kids. And I'm not even as smart as them!" Hiro snapped, standing up with a huff. "I'm a fake." He spat out, crumpling a piece of paper he'd pulled from his pocket. The kid started to leave, to blow off steam _SOMEWHERE_, but was stopped by two arms longer and stronger than his own.

"Hiro." The arms' voice called out, spinning the kid around to face the rest if his body. "What's this about?"

The smaller kid shoved the crushed paper in his older brother's face, before crossing his arms. "Here. Proof that I'm not as smart as you guys claim and brag about me being."

Grabbing the paper gently, Tadashi started to unfold it, finding it to be yet another D on a grammar quiz in his English class. "See? D. Below average. Get it, now? I'm not proficient. I'm not smart." Tadashi glanced over the answers; the mistakes were mostly things Hiro should've learned in the grades he skipped. No wonder.

"Hey. Listen." The teenager tossed the paper behind him, putting hands on either of his brother's shoulders and looking him in the eye. "You never learned this. I get it. If you ever have trouble on a homework assignment, don't be embarrassed to ask for help. You didn't go through years studying this. I did. Okay?" Tadashi paused, gauging how well Hiro was listening. "As for the book you're supposed to be reading-" the younger brother broke eye contact; Tadashi wasn't supposed to know about that. "Hey. It's trash. I wouldn't want to read it either. You'll have to tell your teacher you're uncomfortable with the subject, and ask about raising your grade. As long as they see you're trying, they'll want to help." The taller one smiled slightly, patting his brother on the back. "You are smart. Guess what? You saved our family a lot of money by messing around with Aunt Cass's statements. You fixed the calculations and ended up doing really well, Hiro. I'm so proud of you." Tadashi let his teeth flash in a bigger grin this time, hugging his brother gently before standing up. "Now. How about we go buy a big bag of gummy bears?" Tadashi whispered mischievously, with a wicked glint in his eyes. "Aunt Cass? I'm taking Hiro to the mall, he needs some school stuff, okay?" He called upstairs, making a white lie.

There was a clang, before their guardian called back an "Okay, sweetie! Thank you for taking him!"

Hiro grinned as Tadashi passed him the new, shiny green and white helmet for his new moped. There was no questioning in his ten year old eyes any longer. Tadashi was the best person in the world.


	12. Sounds in the Night

{A/N: Thank you for all the support! Also, VERY short addition here, but I stopped it short because it was feelsy-er that way. :) So I might make this into a two-shot, the second part being what Hiro does after this takes place. Let me know if interested!

Disclainer: All rights reserved to Walt Disney Animation Studios.}

Hiro shuddered and clung to his fluffy teddy bear. So what if he was barely three? There was a much more developed side to Hiro; one he didn't dare let the public see. His parents, well, when they were still around, used to be absolutely shocked at what the child could do. How early he could speak and walk. How quickly he learned to write and to read things. And when he read, he _understood._ There was no explanation necessary for a relatively small chapter book of Tadashi's that Hiro stole, and finished it within two days. Tadashi was in fourth grade, and advanced for even that. The books he brought home were early middle school level. And little toddler Hiro could speed through them with no problem.

The soft of the somewhat new teddy comforted Hiro a bit. He didn't exactly get along stellar with his older brother, and sometimes, the kid often thought Tadashi resented him. There was the Tadashi that told him to go away, to fit in, or to not embarrass him. They managed, though, because there was also the Tadashi who brought home Hiro gummy bears, watched movies with the kid, and played tag. It was really hit-or-miss, whether nice or mean big brother was there.

Hiro cringed yet again, burying his face in hopes of making the noise stop. Being sleepless for days, he quickly became acquainted with the sounds of the night: Car horns, teenagers in the back alleys giggling, cross neighbors yelling on the phone, etc. in a city like San Fransokyo. But with those sounds often included those you didn't want to hear. Especially when you aren't alone in your room.

The noises became louder now, along with some shuffling as Hiro's older brother was stirring from sleep. No matter if he was in a good or bad mood, Tadashi was always fearless. His brother didn't cower to anything, be it bullies or monsters under the bed or _nothing_. He'd make it stop.

Against Hiro's wishes, however, the sounds reverberated louder, encompassing the room. The newly 9 year old's covers stopped hissing with movement; the source of the horrid uproar had moved to the older kid's bed. It sounded like something was attacking, but not in the violent way. More of like an impending doom, with heavy pulses of deep unhappiness chipping away at a wall, and finally hitting that one spot that makes the whole thing shatter. The kind of attack where everything you built crumples before your eyes, and there's nothing you can do about it but watch.

Hiro heard his older brother's pained whimper and decided to act. This thing could not be in his room, and certainly not messing with **his** brother. Some primal instinct took over in the toddler, reminding him this kid was the only immediate family he had left. He couldn't let his brother slip away to the monster too, just like their parents had two weeks earlier. Little Hiro leapt out of his small blankets, twirling his body towards the other bed in the room, ready to fight for his brother. But he stopped dead in his tracks, and the shock was enough to make the toddler drop his prized stuffed animal.

Tadashi was alone. No monster in sight.

The older boy was clutching onto something; what Hiro would later recognize to be the hat he'd gotten for his birthday.

It was then that Hiro knew the noise wasn't something attacking Tadashi.

The loud, struggling sound **_was_** Tadashi.

His strong, fearless brother.

Sobbing painfully.


	13. Bad Beginnings

{A/N: Thank you for the reviews! Also, Happy New Year!

Disclaimer: All rights are reserved by Walt Disney Animation Studios}

Tadashi had been cleaning up the café when Mrs. Matsuda rapped her fist on the door violently. The elderly woman was overall good-spirited, but her fashion sense was a bit off. She wore things that were clearly _attempts_ to show the woman was hip and cool; usually bright colors and patterns that should never be on anyone over 12. The 18 going on 19 year old boy was busying himself as his instant ramen cooked, but the noodles were not of his concern right now. The café was closed, due to the fact Tadashi's aunt was out of town, leaving him alone for the weekend to watch over his baby brother. It wasn't a new situation, their legal guardian had to travel to see relatives and attend financial meetings a few times a year, so the two boys were used to the occasional night alone. Right at the moment, Hiro was out at the public library, writing an essay for extra credit in English, so Tadashi was holding up fort. This elderly woman was a regular, and Tadashi knew something was up from the moment he saw her haste. She wasn't the type to be in a rush.

The teenager tossed his rag down, wiping his forehead as he opened the door, signified by the welcoming chime of bells. "Mrs. Matsuda," he breathed, the hot and humid July evening practically sticking to his skin. "Why are you-"

He was cut off by the older woman's rushed words. "Tadashi. Can I speak to Cass?" Her voice rang with a panicked tone the older boy didn't like too much.

"No, m'am. She's not returning until late tomorrow night. What's the-"

"You have to come." Again, not allowing the boy to finish. "It's Hiro."

* * *

><p>It was cold. Hiro shivered, reaching to grab his blanket and pull it tighter. His eyes squeezed shut, the boy found only a sliver of cloth, and it was damp. And his arm ached when he reached for it. Pulling what little he had towards him for warmth, the newly 13 year old found no difference in warmth, and felt a rough scrape against his berated arm. "Ow." The boy muttered to himself quietly, forcing his eyes to open even just to slits. A glaring white light made him instantly regret the decision, snapping the boy's glassy orbs shut again as he winced. It also brought his throbbing headache from the dull, barely noticed phase to the full out thumping it started to become. Turning his face away in great pain, Hiro clutched the small piece of supposed blanket and found it to be some sort of tube of blue cloth, damp in the areas where the cloth was a deep purple. Confused, the tween squeezed it until his knuckles were white, trailing the paleness up his arm to his elbow; up his <em>bare<em> arm. Hiro was clutching his hoodie's sleeve, completely ripped off the rest of his body. A cough shivered this whole body, sending waves of numbing pain reverberating. His lips were wet. Hiro was coughing up blood.

_What happened? How did I get here?_ The kid heard fast crunches getting louder, echoing in his skull. "Kid." The light had suddenly disappeared, replaced by an unidentifiable face. "Kid, can you hear me?" The guy was middle-aged, maybe he was a father. His whispers sounded like screams to Hiro's sensitive ears, so when he actually shouted the boy was quick to cover them. "Ma!" The man shouted, which was reciprocated by an ornery demand what he wanted. "Mom, Come here. It's a kid." Hiro's muscles started relaxing, the thumping in his mind creating a steady beat. He could feel the hard asphalt, the bloody pavement, and the pain slipping away fro him.

"Oh, my!" A quiet, female voice. It sounded distant to the boy. He didn't mind. "I know that kid! He's Cass's nephew, the woman who owns the Lucky-" Hiro hadn't heard anymore. He was knocked out when the man's mother, Ayame Matsuda, insisted upon her son bringing the boy into the house and when she left the house. He missed the arrival of another person and the call to 911.

He missed the new person nearly in hysterics as the ambulance arrived. He missed the argument between the paramedics and him, the unknown demanding to ride in the back. He missed 3 hours.

* * *

><p>Tadashi ran to the back, turning off the microwave and leaving the ramen on the main counter. He didn't care about the food any longer, but he didn't need the house burning and injuring anyone else. He wanted to be fire safe.<p>

After completing that hastily, Tadashi ran out front to meet the woman in her car, which was already started. "Mrs. Matsuda," his heavy breaths could be heard over the car's radio. "What happened?"

He didn't receive much of an explanation. The woman looked a bit in shock, and her answers were typically brief and not very informative. That only worried Tadashi more.

As soon as the car rolled to a stop in a residential district about seven minutes away from the café, the teenager stepped out of the car, thanking the elderly woman for the ride and rushing inside of her house. In other circumstances, he would've walked her in, and been a shoulder to ease her hobble. But now was all about finding his baby brother. "Hiro?" He called out from the front door, confused by all the halls that presented themselves. Where was he?

"In here." A masculine voice, much too deep to be his genius little brother's. Tadashi immediately started in that direction, slowing in a hallway as he checked all the open rooms_. Bedroom, bedroom, bathroom, Living room! Hiro!_

A man was standing next to his little brother, who just looked awful. Tadashi dropped his hat on the table by the door, quickly making his way to Hiro's side. "No…" He muttered under his breath, finding a very beaten up little brother lying on a towel. Hiro was unconscious, pale, bleeding from some unidentifiable places, bruised on one arm, and breathing shallowly. "Who did this?" He questioned, gently taking his brother's chin in his hand to better look at the kid's face. His clothes were shot, too. "Do you know who did this?!" He repeated more forcefully, looking up at the man. The younger Matsuda didn't know. "Clean up some of the blood. Try to find the source." Tadashi commanded, pulling out his cellphone as fast as he could and called 911. He put them on speaker, as the respondent coached them through what to do until the ambulance came. Hiro was not to be moved.

Tadashi began cleaning up the kid's face, which consisted of trails from the corners of his mouth and a bump on his brother's forehead. He slowly wiped the boy's cheek, before stopping and staring. This was his baby brother. This was his pride and joy.

What happened?

Covering his mouth now, the teenager squeezed his eyes shut. His chest trembled, and the rest of the older kid's body soon joined. "Hiro…" He choked out, grabbing the smaller hand of his brother. "Hang in there." Tadashi took a long breath, before a hard knock came from the front door. The teen wiped his face, releasing his brother and rushing to allow the paramedics in, grabbing his hat along the way. They wheeled in a gurney as well, and had Hiro on it and were on the way out of the house before Tadashi could even re-enter the room. "Sir," He hurried alongside one of the men pushing his little passed out brother outside to an ambulance. "I'm his brother; I'm responsible for him. I'll be in the back, alright?"

"Kid, what's your name? You can surely come in the ambulance, but I'm afraid you'll have to ride up front." The paramedic replied, before they halted and opened the back doors.

"Tadashi Hamada sir. I'm a legal adult, and am taking courses on medical treatments. I'll be back here, thank you." Tadashi retorted, climbing in back after Hiro had been slid in. The responder seemed about to deny him, but refused the argument and hustled up to occupy the passenger seat and relay information to the local hospital. The ride was too long. Hiro couldn't be worked on much due to his suspected head injury. The responders were fairly certain, however, that the boy had a concussion.

The silence allowed Tadashi to sit with his thoughts. It permitted him to question how Hiro, who was at the library, ended up in the backstreets and unconscious. Was he mugged? Did someone try to _kill_ him?

When the ambulance reached its final destination, the older teen's hands were balled in fists. He was mad that he knew nothing. He was mad that this happened. "Mr. Hamada?"

The college-bound kid looked up, smoothing his clammy hands on his pants. A new member of the hospital staff was addressing him, this one in business casual clothes. "If you could please follow me?" The woman promptly pivoted, starting though the back door, and through the back halls of the building. Tadashi hated the fact he was leaving Hiro, but she sounded urgent. He'd be right back afterwards.

The tall boy followed her into a room, where there was only a couch and movable chair. _Consultation room._ He thought, sitting down on a couch. At some point, the woman had picked up a clipboard. "Hiro Hamada, H-i-r-o H-a-m-a-d-a, is the patient's name, correct?" She began, sliding a pen out and copying down on another form when Tadashi nodded.

"Yes. I'm his older brother, Tadashi. I wasn't there. He was found on the ground by a few family friends. I don't have any further information on what happened." The boy said, watching the woman scratch a few things down in notes before catching his gaze.

"Your brother most likely has a concussion. He got pretty beat up too; his core muscles have deep bruising within them. He will definitely be fine." She stopped and smiled, watching the older brother sigh in relief. "They're just making sure nothing's broken, which unfortunately could take an hour or two. I believe he's getting four stitches on his left arm. He's a real trooper though; based on the current diagnostics, the blow to his forehead should've instantly knocked him out. If your friends found him awake, he's got a pretty thick skull, Mr. Hamada."

Tadashi smiled, laughing to himself. "Bonehead. I always call him a bonehead, too." The woman smiled in response, before standing. "I'll lead you to the waiting room. One of our staff members will be out to alert you when you may come in and visit. If nothing's broken and Hiro's concussion is not too serious, he could be discharged tonight." She responded, shaking hands with Tadashi, who nodded and stood as well.

"Thank you, M'am." He was led out and through a few more sterile hallways, before he found himself in a room with couches and magazines.

"We'll let you know." The staff member reassured the boy, before departing the room. Tadashi made himself comfortable in a chair, deciding he'd call his aunt when he had finalization on Hiro's status. Until then he could worry enough for the both of them. The protective brother sighed, running a hand through his hair. He sat in the waiting room alone, anxiously glancing at the door every few seconds. It was the longest hour and a half Tadashi had ever experienced.

* * *

><p>Hiro woke up from the dream, feeling horrible about it. What if it actually happened? What if he was actually cornered after one of these new Robot Fights he'd started to go to? And what if Tadashi found out he'd used his birthday money for something so… selfish? It wasn't <em>really<em> selfish, it was just a bit of fun. The kid frightfully sat straight up, looking around him for the comfort of his own room. All his stuff… Nope. It was gone. Hiro was in a white room, and some woman was pressing on his chest now. "Ouch!" The boy yelped, complying to make the pain subside. It was real. He was in a hospital room. There was an IV in his hand.

"Hiro, you're awake." The attendant said, smiling now. She moved to a computer on wheels, typing something Hiro presumed was a login. "How are you feeling?"

"Like a pile of bruises." He nearly spat, clining to his blankets now. His stomach ached with every move.

"Specific areas of pain? How is your head? Try not to thrash, kiddo."

"Uh… My Stomach. And chest. My forehead hurts. But they aren't bad." He said, much more somber now. In fact, he was a bit sheepish, looking away from her now.

"Hiro, you have a concussion, okay? You might feel woozy, you might fall asleep, okay? Don't worry. Just relax, and take it easy. You're a real tough kid, Hiro. You took it all really well, sweetie." The technician told him, before she left the room. The world was starting to fade again. Hiro didn't want it to this time. Just as he was about to check out again, he heard it.

"Hiro…!"

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><p>Some new woman with a big smile on her face came out into the room. "Tadashi Hamada?" The teenager never shot up quicker, nearly bounding over to her. "Hiro is taking visitors. 113D. Right down the hall." She escorted him, before leaving again. Tadashi acted cool, when he was actually ready to sprint as he stepped in.<p>

"Hiro…!" He breathed in exceitement, even though his brother looked asleep. Tadashi rushed over, and Hiro's eyes opened in excitement and fear.

"Tadashi!" The younger of the two squeaked, throwing caution to the wind as he quickly sat up and wrapped his arms around his older brother. The college kid was happy to reciprocate, cradling Hiro's head with one hand and resting the other on his back.

"Hiro…" Tadashi was near tears at the fact his brother was awake. "Hiro, tell me everything. Please." He spoke softly, laying his brother back in the hospital bed before he sat on it.

"I… Forget." Hiro lied, and it was obvious by how he avoided eye contact and twiddled his thumbs.

"Hiro, they didn't mention amnesia. Cut the crap." Tadashi demanded now, putting a hand on his brother's stomach. By the way his face contorted, the elder of the two quickly took it back.

"T-Tadashi…" Hiro didn't know how to word it. "I wasn't writing an essay. Well, I did, but I finished a few hours ago… Y-You see, there's these things I found out about…" Hiro stumbled upon his words, starting to shift uncomfortably. "I… I wanted to become even better at robotics, and I found these things, and… They're like, little competitions, and you-" Tadashi cut his brother off with a gasp.

"HIRO HAMADA, TELL ME YOU DID **_NOT_** ATTEND A BOT FIGHT!" Hiro winced, partially because the loud noise hurt his head, and partially because he knew this wouldn't end up good.

"Well…" The younger kid gulped, hugging himself. "I-I might have, and…"

"Hiro! Those are **_ILLEGAL._**" Tadashi scolded, looking angry. Which scared Hiro more, because Tadashi was hardly ever angry.

"N-No way! Betting on them is what's illegal… I swear I didn't bet…" The kid defended himself, looking away.

"Tell me what happened." Tadashi said, staring straight at his brother. Hiro cocked his head to the side in response. "Okay, so you went to an illegal bot fight. How come you're here now, then?"

The younger kid gulped again. "A-About that, D-Dashi… W-Well I had a really cool bot! Not as cool as the one I'm making now, but pretty cool! And... And…I beat everyone there! But then… Some of the older guys got angry, saying I was a puppet of someone. I j-just wanted to get o-out, and then they…" Hiro was getting worked up, and paused for a minute. He buried his face, fighting back the tears that welled up in his eyes. They were like bullies at school, only _Adults_. And now his own brother was mad at him. But to his surprise, Hiro found Tadashi soon laying next to him, holding this kid against his chest protectively.

"And then they did this to you. Right?" The older boy whispered, rubbing his brother's back. Hiro just nodded, snuggling in. "Ok, Hiro. Just rest now. No more bot fights."

"But… Dashi…" Hiro hardly ever used the nickname anymore. "Tadashi… I…"

"No, Hiro. You can't get hurt like this again." Tadashi pulled back a little, looking at him. "I love you. I can't stand to see you like this."

Hiro cracked a smile, sticking out his tongue. "Gross, Tadashi."

"Oh, shut up." Tadashi grinned, glad his brother was well enough to be in his normal spirits.

Hiro laughed quietly, hugging his big brother again tightly. "Never!" He whispered before yawning.

"Go to sleep. That'll shut you up." Hiro rolled his eyes, but snuggled in to agree. "I love you too, Tadashi…" He relented, barely audible, before snoozing off.

Sure, Tadashi would have to deal with leaving to check if Hiro was getting discharged. Sure, he was going to have to call Aunt Cass and explain at some point. Sure, the teenager would probably have to run out for painkillers multiple times in the next week.

But that didn't matter, because Hiro was okay.

Hiro wasn't too badly injured. After being beaten by a gang, Hiro ended up in decent health.

And Hiro wasn't even _thinking_ about leaving the house alone for the next month or so. Not if Tadashi could help it.

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><p>{AN: Thank you so much for reading! I love feedback, so feel free to let me know what you think! Also, I'm taking suggestions, if there's any headcanons you have you'd like to see me write out. Thanks again!}


	14. Irrationality

{A/N: Sorry for the crappy quality of this; I got this idea and had to write it before I forgot! Thanks for reading!

Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Walt Disney Animation Studios.}

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><p>Hiro hadn't really remembered it, to be honest. But by the panicked look on Tadashi's face, he must've been thrashing about like his older brother said he had been. Maybe forgetting was okay in this case. Either way, he complied to the 11 year old (with whom he had grown exceedingly close within the past year), and crawled up into the bigger of two beds in the room.<p>

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><p>Five tests, six worksheets, and 8 chapters left to read by Monday, and it was taking its toll on Tadashi. Being Friday night, he stayed up until early morning doing a mix of worksheets and textbook questions to prepare. The middle school student shivered, feeling the winter cold air seeping in through the shut windows. His meek desk lamp's shine was swallowed in a swampy mix of darkness and moonlight that filled the room. Tadashi dropped his pencil for the fourth occurance, which led to him deciding it was bedtime. Maybe if he could sleep on the info, it would all stick enough for him to achieve perfect grades. The kid vibrated once more, grabbing an old sweatshirt and slipping it over his head. His stomach read "Team Member: Hamada, Fourth Grade Field Day!" but he didn't care. In fact, the sixth grader was grateful for its fluffy warmth.<p>

"Ughhhh…" Tadashi groaned, albeit a little too loudly. The kid quickly slapped a hand over his mouth, as if that would take the sound back, when Hiro shifted. Tadashi's four year old brother sniveled, rolling over in his oversized blankets. When the kid had settled again, with his San Fransokyo Ninjas teddy bear in hand, Tadashi sighed in relief. His victory was cut short, however, by the grumbling of a pain from within him. The kid clutched his stomach, the pang of hunger passing through him. The 11 year old slipped out of the room, deciding to grab a midnight snack, since he'd been working hard all night.

_No biggie… Just downstairs, into the kitchen, get the food, and back…_ He thought to himself. The utter silence of the dark, cold house didn't help his case, however. Tadashi Hamada, nearly-perfect kid, had a huge irrational fear of his own house at night.

What if he ran into a burglar? What if Aunt Cass woke up and he screamed, mistaking her as a stranger in the house? What if there was a colony of monsters that nocturnally lived in the café? Tadashi breathed, silently thinking over all of the martial arts moves he knew how to execute. _Just in case,_ He vowed to himself, the noises from his stomach refusing to be suppressed. "Now or never…" Tadashi whispered, starting down the wooden staircase. He gulped, inhaling sharply as one of the steps creaked under his body weight. The kid thought he was sneaking around with his life on the line. All for what would probably be some crackers and a water.

Unfolding his curled fists, the boy continued down, darting across the main floor and into the kitchen. The tiles were ice cold on his feet, making him jump continuously in effort to get his warm, bare skin away. Tadashi had to think fast, before hypothermia took over (Or so he assumed). _Aha!_ Bounding up, he snatched at a box of saltines. Unfortunately for him, Tadashi was a tad too short, and ended up knocking the entire box over. It crashed in slow-motion; Tadashi was too horrified to do anything but watch as it collided with the cold tiles beneath him. This was it. This was the end for him.

A shuffling noise from down the hall jolted him back to reality. Tadashi scooped up a single package, bolting upstairs as if he were suddenly a track star, and shut his bedroom door with a hurried but quiet click. He was hyperventilating, eyes pricked with tears that wanted to roll down his cheeks. Tadashi was absolutely terrified, still shaken up, and no longer hungry. Had he stayed downstairs, however, Aunt Cass would've been revealed as the source of the noise, not some monster.

Tadashi sniffled. It was rare times like these that he cried over his parents- if they hadn't passed away, he could run into their room and spend the night swaddled between them. He could tell his dad all about what happened, and wouldn't feel ashamed for crying over fictional monsters at eleven years of age. But they were gone, and Tadashi had no one he was exceedingly comfortable turning to for comfort.

It was then that Hiro snored. Still distraught, Tadashi rubbed at his eyelids to stop the tears. He took multiple deep but shaky breaths to calm himself down, before marching his way straight up to bed. Hiro's bed.

"Hiro…" Tadashi whispered, shaking his naïve brother's small shoulder. His voice still quivered from the panic, and his speech was rushed in urgency. "Hiro wake up."

"Uwaaa?" The little kid yawned, gripping his teddy bear a bit tighter. "D…Dashi?" Hiro squinted, staring at his older brother.

"Shh, Hiro…" Tadashi swallowed his guilt, before lying to his brother. "It was just a bad dream. You had a nightmare." The words were spoken in haste, Tadashi still pale in the face from his near-death experience.

"I… I did?" Hiro asked, stretching a free arm. He honestly had no recollection of any bad dream.

"Yep!" No hesitation. "You were thrashing around. I think it's best you come sleep in my bed tonight, okay?" Tadashi's arms were already reaching around to scoop his brother up.

Hiro nodded quietly, grabbing a pillow. "I… Ok…. Dashi, I'll be there in a sec. Make room for me." The older of two retreated slightly, never taking his eyes off Hiro as he bunched up the blankets in a ball, carting his stuffed bear on top of the pile while he stumbled across the room. The toddler handed his brother all of the belongings in his hands, throwing a leg up and scaling the bed himself. "Thank you, Dashi… For always being here when I'm having a scary dream. Even when I don't know I'm having one." The little one began, stretching out his blankets and sinking in to make himself comfortable. "Maybe one day I can comfort you, too!" He grinned, showing off a hole-riddled smile.

Tadashi took another deep breath, this one more stable as he snuggled in with his younger brother. The kid buried his face in Tadashi's chest, returning the hug graciously. "Believe me," the older kid began, allowing himself to close his eyes due to the physical reassurance. "That day is closer than you think."

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><p>{AN: Thank you for reading! I know it's not my best work, but I appreciate it anyways!}


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